Brown Skin

by Srila Munukutla

Case Western Reserve University

Srila Munukutla is a student at Case Western Reserve University, originally from Chicago. She is majoring in medical anthropology with minors in creative writing and biology, and will graduate in Spring 2027. She writes poetry and short fiction, and performs spoken word exploring themes of community, memory, and cultural identity rooted in her Indian heritage. Her work has appeared in Lodestar Lit Volume IV and Case Reserve Review. 

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they say mushrooms grow 

where things go to die 

in dark, damp corners 

the air stagnant with neglect  

they call them dirty  

use words like kukkurmutta — dog piss 

gobar chatta — dung umbrella 

their brown skin long refused  

told they don’t belong 

but no one talks about  
what happens when heat meets them 

how they guzzle butter 
how garlic embeds itself 
how salt coaxes sweetness 
from decay 

sliced thin, they roast  

shy of the center plate  

restrained in muted colors  

a grainy finish 

atop the tongue  

tasting of rain and warmth 
of muddy forests after storms 

if you give them a chance 
they’ll fill your mouth 
with a quiet richness  
that stays 
long after you’ve swallowed 

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